LIVE AT THE BAKED POTATO

The tale of the history of Soft Machine is complex, with spin-off bands aplenty, and a gap of 37 years between releases under the original name, yet in many ways that is somehow apt given the complexity and groundbreaking nature of their music. Three of this line-up were members of the band back in the Seventies, namely - John Etheridge (guitar), Roy Babbington (bass) and John Marshall (drums), while Theo Travis (sax, flute, electric piano) had been a member of Soft Machine Legacy since 2006. When Roy joined that band in 2009, the quartet formed such a bond that in 2015 they felt they could drop the "Legacy" element, and in 2018 released 'Hidden Details', the first new Soft Machine studio album since 1981's 'Land of Cockayne'.

Recorded live at The Baked Potato, February 1st, 2020, during the Soft Machine's 50th Anniversary World Tour 2019/2020, this was their first return to LA since opening for Jimi Hendrix at the Hollywood Bowl on September 14th, 1968, so it had been a while. Listening to the energy coming from the stage it is hard to realise just how old these guys are, with Theo Travis being the youngster as he is only in his late fifties, while Roy and John Marshall were only just in their seventies when this was recorded, and are both now in their eighties, while John Etheridge is also in his seventies. This album shows just how great music and great musicians are somehow timeless, and when Etheridge lets rip, he really shows the youngsters what can be done on a guitar when you have spent so many years mastering it. Travis provides the musical glue which allows the Etheridge the room to play, but it is the rhythm section which keeps it all so controlled and on point at all times.

As well as tunes from the latest album, we of course also get plenty of classics from the Seventies, including "Out-Bloody- Rageous", "Hazard Profile", "Kings And Queens", "The Tale Of Taliesin" and "The Man Who Waved At Trains", but it does not matter if they are playing old or new, as there is a seamless and ageless quality. At times delicate, at others rumbunctious, this is the absolute highest quality, which one would expect from Soft Machine. Any serious proghead or jazz lover will have at least some Soft Machine albums in their collection: this should be added, as music as good as this needs the recognition it deserves.

This is a live document of the 50th anniversary World tour SOFT MACHINE performed starting early in 2019. This show was from February 1st 2019 in LA at The Baked Potato. Love that late 50s early 60's cover art that is actually from Las Vegas.

The band offers a big thankyou to Moonjune Records owner Leonardo Pavkovic suggesting the tour and album would not have happened without his tireless effort and support. I was glad to have spent time with "Hidden Details" recently, that 2018 record, as it does get represented here as being the most recent SOFT MACHINE release.

The highlights for me are not surprising as we get plenty of nods to the past on this one hour recording and I will list those songs but the one track from "Hidden Details" I'm kind of taken with is "Life On Bridges" and it will just make my top five here. The song reminds me of NUCLEUS when they were at their melancholic best.

Number one song though is "The Tale Of Taliesin" from "Softs" and an all time favourite for me from this band. I don't have this as a live track except here so it certainly adds to the value of this recording for me. Etheridge is awesome, come on! The first 3 minutes are stunning. The other three tracks that stand out for me are "Out-Bloody-Rageous", "Hazard Profile Pt.1" and "The Man Who Waved At Trains" all SOFT MACHINE classics.

You know down the road we're going to get some archival releases from this period and later but as of right now this is the last record of John Marshall playing live. We get his short 2 minute drum solo called "Side Burn" but I like his performance on "The Tale Of The Taliesin" the best. I'll say it again Theo Travis deserves a lot of credit for taking the SOFT MACHINE bull by the horns and being the main composer and producer. A solid 4 stars.